The Burton and Beaufort/Port Royal Fire Departments spent the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday responding to fire calls, saving two homes.
Firefighters responded to the first call just after 11 a.m. on Jan. 21, on Wayside Lane and arrived to find two vehicles on fire endangering a nearby home. The fire was quickly brought under control and extinguished, but the flames caused heat damage to the siding of the home. Firefighters checked the home for fire extension inside and found it clear.
While still operating on scene at Wayside Lane just past noon, firefighters from both departments were then dispatched to a possible house fire on Quarter Horse Road.
Firefighters arrived to find a small fire smoldering inside the wall of the home. The fire was caused by an improperly discarded cigarette that ignited a bag of trash against the house. Firefighters extinguished the smoldering fire and checked the home for fire extension inside and found it clear.
Fire crews from both departments responded to the third fire just past 11 p.m. on Pulaski Drive. Firefighters arrived to find fire coming from the engine compartment of a Nissan Maxima. Firefighters quickly extinguished the fire, confining damages to the vehicle itself.
No injuries were reported in any of the fires, and both vehicle fires are under investigation. No residents were displaced and damages to the homes were minimal. Fire officials caution residents who smoke to discard their ashes in metal containers at a minimum of three feet from the home. Officials say ashes can smolder for up to eight hours.
